1. The Parliamentary Assembly condemns
unreservedly all forms of violence against women. It reiterates that
this violence is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations
between women and men and cannot be brought to an end unless there
is a fundamental change of mindsets.

2. In its Resolution
2093 (2016) “Recent attacks against women: the need for
honest reporting and a comprehensive response”, the Assembly acknowledged
that violence in crowds represents another dimension of violence
against women. In this connection, the Assembly notes with concern
the magnitude of the phenomenon of sexual violence and harassment
of women in public space. This phenomenon is universal and can affect
all women, while the perpetrators of this violence come from all
social categories and all cultures and are of all ages.

3. Although this violence takes place in public, sometimes in
front of dozens of people, women often find themselves facing their
attackers alone because witnesses fail to act. This widespread indifference
only increases the victims’ feeling of insecurity and helplessness.
Most do not dare to lodge a complaint for fear of not being understood
or of the incident being trivialised. The Assembly deplores this
tacit approval of sexual violence and harassment of women in public
space, which contributes to perpetuating the attackers’ impunity.

4. The feeling of fear and insecurity in public space, particularly
on public transport, has a psychological impact on victims and affects
the daily lives of women. They end up adapting their behaviour,
including by adopting avoidance strategies or even withdrawing from
public space. Moreover, the layout of public space favours men,
either because it gives priority to structures and facilities reserved
for their use or because it is not safe enough for women.

5. The Assembly welcomes the various awareness-raising campaigns
aimed at preventing and combating sexual violence and the harassment
of women in public space. They play a key role in raising public
awareness and could put an end to witnesses’ apathy towards this
violence. The media also have an important responsibility to cover
the facts objectively by focusing on the violence and its impact
on the victims instead of on the behaviour of the women subjected
to that violence or on the actual or presumed origins of their attackers. The
media can also be effective means of publicising awareness-raising
campaigns.

6. The Assembly is convinced that men have a positive role to
play in preventing and combating sexual violence and the harassment
of women in public space. As fathers, friends, decision makers,
journalists, public officials and political and religious leaders,
they can publicly condemn violence by other men, challenge the values
and social norms that perpetuate discrimination and promote ideas
that emphasise non-violence and gender equality.

7. The Assembly is concerned that mounting xenophobia, racism
and intolerance in Europe may cause deterioration in the already
fragile security situation for women who are subject to violence
in public spaces because of their origin, religion, disability and/or
sexual orientation. In this context, it is vital that member States place
particular importance on addressing the security needs of women
who may be especially targeted by perpetrators of xenophobic, racist
and intolerant acts.

8. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on
Council of Europe member and observer States to:

8.1. sign and ratify without delay,
if they have not yet done so, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing
and combating violence against women and domestic violence (CETS
No. 210, “Istanbul Convention”) and to ensure its full implementation,
which presupposes the inclusion of sexual violence and harassment
in public space in national criminal codes;

8.2. put an end to impunity by prosecuting perpetrators of
sexual violence and harassment in public space;

8.3. conduct inquiries into sexual violence and the harassment
of women in public space in order to gain a better understanding
of the magnitude of the phenomenon and initiate action that may
help eliminate the taboos surrounding this issue;

8.4. launch and support awareness-raising campaigns on the
need to prevent and combat sexual violence and harassment in public
space, including campaigns that call on witnesses of violence to
react and intervene, and campaigns that specifically target men;

8.5. include awareness-raising activities about the respect
for human dignity and non-violent conflict resolution, and more
specifically about gender equality, gender stereotypes and the role
of women in our societies in general education curricula in order
to address this issue from different angles, and develop targeted
learning modules on, for example, the impact of sexual violence
and harassment on victims, or on how to behave when confronted directly
or indirectly with such attacks; special emphasis must be placed
on programmes aimed at educating or re-educating parents to enhance
their approach or understanding of what violence against women is
and why it must be eradicated;

8.6. develop teaching methods and school activities that help
address the causes of violence, which aim to avoid reproducing imbalanced
power relationships and gender-based stereotypes, and provide opportunities
for pupils to control any physical or psychological tension they
may feel in a non-violent manner;

8.7. provide school teachers and staff with mandatory training,
so that they can: a.) learn
to detect potential victims of violence (children subjected to abuse,
witnesses of parental discord, etc.); b.)
better understand the different forms of violence (physical, psychological,
verbal and behavioural, etc.); and c.) learn
how to oppose them;

8.8. ensure the regular presence in schools of specialised
counsellors, mediators and/or psychologists, who should be available
for pupils, their parents and teachers, and should be trained to help
those who have experienced violence, including victims, perpetrators
and bystanders;

8.9. carry out preventive action in facilities accommodating
refugees and asylum seekers, thus enabling discussions on equality
values and the social codes prevailing in their new environment
to take place;

8.10. launch a dialogue with the media on their responsibility
for providing objective information on sexual violence and harassment
in public space and encourage them to give prominence to awareness-raising
campaigns and associations working to combat violence against women;

8.11. launch a dialogue with the providers of new media services
or products, such as internet access or service providers, providers
of mobile telecommunications media and sellers of videos and video games,
to foster their commitment to the fight against gender stereotypes
and gender-based violence through adequate self-regulatory measures
and control and complaints mechanisms, and to encourage closer co-operation
between new media providers and governments in combating and prohibiting
the dissemination through the media of violent, gender-based content,
including through timely and prompt exchange of information and
reaction when sexually disturbing content is put online;

8.12. adopt and vigorously implement a zero-tolerance policy
towards violence against women in public space, by ensuring the
visible presence in sufficient numbers of police officers who have
been alerted to the problem and trained to help victims of violence
at major events, and by regulating and controlling the consumption
of drugs and alcohol at events with a high risk of disturbances
and violence;

8.13. design so-called welcoming towns and cities by taking
the gender dimension into account in urban planning and in public
transport so as to ensure the security and well-being of everyone.

9. The Assembly urges parliamentarians, including those belonging
to parliaments that have partner for democracy status, to condemn
all forms of violence perpetrated against women, especially sexual
violence and harassment in public space, and to support and actively
contribute to efforts to raise awareness of the issue.